Personal security in this research is taken to mean that older people feel safe and secure in their physical environments, social relationships, and within themselves. Many of the participants looked for personal security and a secure base in families and friends. Personal security was also discussed by participants in relation to the home and community. Home and community was frequently talked about in terms of their proximity to local shops, banks, and doctors.
It’s very convenient because (town) village has everything. It has a wide variety of individual shops and a bank and a doctor’s office and pharmacy (Edith).
We’ve got an optician along the corner, and no we’re pretty lucky (Helena).
Being in an area which allowed them close access to healthcare, food, and financial assistance brought the participants comfort and security. Additionally, neighbourhood can help provide a sense of security when
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an older person has lived there for some time and knows their way around, where everything is, and who everyone is.
Oh well you get to know everybody and bring your kids up, it’s good (Nancy).
In this way, familiarity can also be a source of security and draws on notions of continuity.
Family facilitated a sense of personal security for many of the participants. Family was especially instrumental in security for the participants in the low living standards group who struggled with financial insecurity and poor health. For Maria, who experienced insecurity in many aspects of her life, her family provided her with a secure base. In a response to a question posed to Maria on whether she could rely on her son in emergencies Maria gave an example of a time when she was very unwell and her son looked after her.
Yes, I say he’s very protective of me (Maria).
Maria knew that if she really needed them, her family would find a way to help her, despite their own limited resources.
But he manages somehow. He manages to give me lunches. Every day he gives me sandwich (Maria).
In a similar vein, for Nancy, knowing that her family would be there to help her out if she ever needed anything helped her cope with everyday life and enabled her to feel a sense of security in the face of her limited economic resources.
Your family are good to you.
Yeah, the whole lot of them, oh I only need to ring them up… (Nancy).
Family not only provided practical support but also emotional support. For Molly, important decisions were made as a family and she
depended on them for help and advice.
We talked with them and they said well if anything happened to John, they said don’t worry mum we’ll be there and we’ll decide
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with you, you see, and so for both of us we will talk it over and then we’ll say to the youngsters now what do you think (Molly).
In addition to family, the state also provided the participants with feelings of security. For example, health insurance is something that becomes very expensive in old age and this was given up by one participant. Yet giving up private health care did not incite feelings of insecurity due to the quality of New Zealand’s health care system.
So we had to give it away. So when I had to have this done, you’re back into the hospital system
And what do you think of the hospital system?
Well the quality of care that you get is excellent (Walter). In some countries, having no medical insurance is a major source of insecurity, yet because of the health care system in New Zealand this was not the case for these participants. For Walter, the quality of the care he received for no cost enabled him feel a sense of security in regards to his care. Other participants also commented on the quality of New Zealand’s health care system “the doctors are excellent” (Maria). Consequently, New Zealand’s health care system was seen as a source of security.
Some the participants also talked about their insecurities. While home and neighbourhood provided many of the participants with feelings of security, when it did not suit the needs of the participants, it could also be a source of insecurity and fear.
You’ve seen the holes, you know, in the carpet. If I land, I have a habit in the night to go to the toilet, to visit the bathroom [Int: Sure]. I go to the toilet and I sometimes I worry, I get frightened. I say, what if my, what if I go through, I’ll be shouting and nobody to hear me (Maria).
Maria’s housing concerns were mentioned frequently in her interview illustrating the negative effect it was having on her experiences of later life. Maria’s home was in need of major repairs. There were holes in the
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floorboard and the bedroom ceiling was covered in mildew and was cracked. The house was also very cold and damp even in the summer months. Maria’s house was in stark contrast to her previous house in India where Maria lived a life of luxury. Consequently, Maria’s
experiences of home were those of insecurity and despair.
This New Zealand lady, oh I’ve forgotten her name, she came. She wouldn’t, she wouldn’t even enter because she was so frightened. And here I have to live (Maria).
In addition to the insecurity that the home engendered, Maria felt insecure about her neighbourhood and was wary of burglars, unknown neighbours, and leaving the house on her own. Maria felt trapped, both in her home, due to her limited mobility and fear of her neighbourhood, and trapped by her current financial situation. For Maria, the home and neighbourhood did not provide her with a secure base in her life, and she concluded “I feel scared, I feel insecure” (Maria).
Insecurities also stemmed from unsuitable homes for the participants ageing bodies. For example, steps were seen as a potential hazard as some of the participants aged, as was the overall layout of the home.
One reason why I thought it might be nice if we moved to one of these newer places because the garage, as it is, I have to carry the groceries up. I call him to bring the groceries up and there’s no automatic opener so if I went out on my own at night I would have to get out of the car and then of course I’ve still got to come back into the house. We can’t come into the house from the garage (Molly).
While some of the participants relocated as a way to counter the
feelings of insecurity from living in unsuitable housing, Molly was not yet able to convince her husband to move. And, although she loved her home, she was aware of its drawbacks which subsequently increased her feelings of insecurity.
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The participants achieved feelings of personal security through different sources. At times practical security was sought, such as within their homes and neighbourhoods, while at others times a secure base was found in the emotional and practical support provided by family. For participants with lower living standards, practical support was often negotiated through personal relationships when they could not afford services themselves. The participants with higher living standards were able to purchase practical support through their own resources and thus only relied on family and friends for emotional support. These
differences illustrates that the types of security older people can achieve depends on the material and social resources they have available to them.